This past week, i saw my friend Wes leaning over the hood of a cop car getting frisked. If you know Wes, you would be as shocked as i was. It would be completely out of character for him to have done something irrational in order to get him frisked on the side of a cop car. As soon as the cops are finished they stand around and talk for awhile while Wes is still smiling, which he has been doing the whole time. I talk to him later and he shows me the ticket the cop writes him and it is for "AGGRESSIVE PANHANDLING". ok, thats a lie. i guess, the fine is around $150. How is Wes going to be able to pay this fine if he is out there looking for a job and looking for money? This is what happens in lower middle class America as well. If they don't got it now...give them a fine. If it's late...give them a fine. If your late to pick up your kid at daycare by accident...give them a fine. Stuff like this happens all the time, and people are pushed further down the ladder of upward mobility. It's like taking someone's head in a pool and holding it under water and not letting them up. It's not going to be good. It's unreasonable. It creates more problems.
What if we stopped handing out fines that add on to bills and debt and instead figured out a way to really help people continue life in a reasonable way. The stress of being "stuck" is a condition that will continue to plague our society until we are able to find a way to create change. You might be thinking..."it's the way it is. leave it alone". I can't. We must begin to realize that charity is simple and easy and going beyond this really presents an invisible family with true mobility. Something to think about.
